Publisher and Author
Field of Study:
Books, art and education
Member since:
2013
How did you become interested in visual literacy? What do your work involve and how does it intersect with visual literacy?
I was first introduced to visual literacy by an ESL/EFL teacher I was working with at the time. I was developing some ideas for children’s books that would encourage kids to develop “creative literacy” and she introduced me to the field of visual literacy. I had an immediate connection with the concept and was drawn especially to the diversity within the field. Visual literacy connects with many different disciplines and areas of research, from art/artists to design, education, neuroscience, engineering, architecture. My work is mostly interested in the intersection of art and words and looking at how we humans master language by combining these two modes of communication.
What are you currently reading/writing/watching/listening to/ and/or curious about?
I’m currently reading the latest issue of Journal of Visual Literacy which has just landed on my desk. Volume 39, Issues 1-2 opens with a review of the origins of the term ‘visual literacy’ and pre-dates it to John Debes and the 1960s. It’s an interesting read and one that that throws up a curiosity in VL research: many people are effectively researching, practicing and exploring VL without necessarily knowing or using the term “visual literacy”. So, ironically, we cannot fully “see” how expansive the field really is.
What does the term ‘visual literacy’ mean to you?
Visual literacy is the ability recognise, analyse, interpret and create visual inputs and media in order to understand the world and communicate ideas.
Website address:
Projects
Discovery Diaries: Arts-based Science for Primary Schools
Three programmes created with author Lucy Hawking and funding from the UK Space Agency, Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Welsh Government. Each project embeds the arts into STEM learning and harnesses the power of multi-modal and cross-curricular learning.
Visual Verse: An Anthology of Arts and Words
An ekphrastic writing journal co-founded with British author and academic Professor Preti Taneja. Since 2013 the journal has published over 8000 pieces of original writing in response to the image prompts we provide.
A general-interest online publication that explores the world of Visual Literacy for both academic and non-academic audiences. Co-developed with Dana Statton-Thompson, it incorporates an extensive bibliography of VL.
The Gen V project, created with teacher Deirdre Mulrooney at Wangari Maathai International School in Berlin, uses art to open up conversations about culture, identity and prejudice. This 10-week course was based around three contemporary artists who inspired the children to explore themes like play, environment, the self, artivism (art+activism) and much more.